The NuFACE Microcurrent Facial Device reverses years. Dumplings, which style of beauty do you belong to? I was having this discussion with Creative Director Mary some months ago, and I am influenced a lot by the French school of beauty and the bohemian-goddess school of beauty. As a vegan, I love cruelty-free, organic, and whenever possible, botanical skincare. I’m also inspired by the French philosophy of embracing one’s sexiness and elegance as one matures, while also tweaking things to subtly enhance one’s overall appearance. (They are meticulous about skincare, but also balance things out with a more polished haircut as you get older, for example). I love the sang-froid and utter magnetism of older French women like Isabelle Huppert.

The one school of beauty to which I *don’t* subscribe is ironically K-beauty. Whereas both the French school and the bohemian school more or less accept that your appearance changes as you get older, the Korean school is about defying the law of nature, whether that’s through plastic surgery (soooo common there) or intense beauty rituals that number 10 steps on average. 10 steps!!

In comparison, I’d always prided myself on not going cray-cray over my beauty rituals. Sunspots and hormonal acne notwithstanding, I was still overall pretty confident in my appearance, which can only be a good thing, right? But right around when I turned 29, I started noticing signs of aging very abruptly. First, my under-eye skin became crêpe-y. Then, I started getting laugh lines, also called nasolabial folds–the two ugliest words in the English language!! (Barf).

Suddenly I was looking up laugh-line erasing methods online. I was seriously considering a consultation with my dermatologist but chanced upon NuFACE Microcurrent Facial Device instead. I saw it among the expensive, scented, crystalized goodies in the lobby of celeb trainer Taryn Toomey’s studio, and thought this must work because all these rich Tribeca moms look hot and they know what they’re doing. (Plus, Miranda Kerr used it to prep her skin pre wedding!) I looked up online and ordered the NuFACE Microcurrent Facial Device Mini ($199).

NuFACE Microcurrent Facial Device works by sending mild electric current to stimulate your facial muscles. This triggers ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) production, which drives the creation of collagen and elastin. It also energizes the facial muscles just like exercise tones up your body’s muscles. I was eager to see the advertised benefits of better facial contour, smoother, less-lined look, and more toned skin.

NuFACE recommends that you do the facial for 5 minutes, 5 days a week for the first 6 weeks, and then cut down to 2-3 times a week for maintenance after that. Instead, I did 7 days a week for the first 7 weeks–except for about 3 days when I skipped because of traveling. Here’s a sample of what you do, below.

You put some Gel Primer (honestly I am using organic aloe vera gel here, it also works) and glide, pulling firmly upward and outward. You also do this over your forehead and jawline, and it all feels pretty soothing. The only time I feel “pain” is when I do the highest setting on my thin forehead skin, so I just knock it down to medium setting. Do you notice how my right corner of the lip (so left side of the face on the screen) keeps going up as I do the facial on that side?!

So let’s look at some before and after, shall we?

OMG, right? On the left is January 12, 2018. On the right is March 7, 2018. To be honest, I don’t see a huge difference in my main source of insecurity, aka laugh lines. However, look at the difference in the contour of my face, from the cheekbones to the jawline.

Both cheekbones look more pronounced, with a natural looking “hollow” beneath the bones.

My left lower cheek (so right side on the screen) looks more lifted.

The beginning of my right eyebrow looks waaaay more lifted, giving my eyes a more open and youthful appearance.

Overall skin tone and texture look improved.

My bangs are in the way, but my forehead also feels smoother.

Even considering the fact that one can look vastly different from day to day, for whatever reason (lack of sleep, stress, hormonal cycle), I think I look at least 2 years younger in the After photo.

Honestly, as much as I love the idea of never worrying about aging, I have to find some way to ease into it! It’s not that I think looking young is automatically better–I think Isabelle Huppert is hotter now than ever, and in a lot of ways I like how my face has changed over the years. But whatever beauty secrets that make us feel a bit more comfortable in our skin are a good thing. NuFACE makes me feel *very* good in my skin, indeed. I am going to be using it religiously, 7 days a week, as long as I have the strength to brush my teeth at night.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Juhea now lives in NYC with her Oreo cookie cat, Zeus. When she is not writing, she enjoys running in Central Park, yoga, and teaching Barre classes. Follow Juhea on Instagram @peacefuldumpling, Google+ and Pinterest.